Beyond the Shadows
by Dracosilverwolf
Summary: After Sora finishes with his quest, the children from his homeland regard the three as legends and heroes. Soon enough, history starts to repeat itself with new, stronger heartless and a mysterious new overlord.
1. Prologue

I wanted to get off of this strip of land, to go on adventures and do stuff that other kids normally didn't do. Like those three kids from so long ago, the three that our parents use as a "bad example" when, in truth, they turned into legends. Their names are Riku, Kairi, and Sora, all of them about twelve when they left. People like me would love spending time with their friends, telling stories about them and creating fantasies that stretched further and further beyond reality, about some more of us escaping like they did, having adventures all over the place, and finding new places to explore, getting away from the restraints of our new society.

My home consisted only of a city, a few small villages, and then farmland, while the rest of the land had meadows and unexplored forests, forests that many of the teens my age had already explored. It wasn't really all that grand, when you finally began exploring and had nothing that could hold our own interests for long, except for one strip of land, a small strip, and certainly nothing interesting to the adults. This land was along one of the many coasts and was a hidden tropical paradise, the shores of which were beyond a few miles of dense forest. This was the perfect spot to hide from our parents and from the harsh reality they reinforced. We would spend several nights there, camping out and having fun with no parental supervision, our parents believing that we were just there to camp, nothing more. They didn't know anything about our secrets that remained only on the island, they didn't know about what we did there.

There were many ways to get to our paradise, dubbed Yvonne, after the child who had first visited there. Yvonne, unfortunately, had died from cancer a year after finding it, the reason why that plot of land held her name. It also served as a name that didn't make our parents suspicious of our activities; they suspected that we had created a shrine in the woods, a place where we honored the girl who died so young. None of us had grown enough to be adults ourselves, and therefore the secret remained.

As years passed, the elders, or oldest of the people who congregate on the beach, would find children that had just turned nine; they would, in turn, be taken to the paradise, keeping our legacy running. Soon, it would be elder's time to leave. It was agreed that once we became adults, at eighteen, we would leave forever, and never mention this place ever again to anyone, never to visit again, either. This was a paradise of childhood, and it was preserved as long as we followed the rules that had been set up.


	2. Chapter 1: Esmerelda

D/N: Umm.. . . Sorry I didn't have an Author's note last chapter; I forgot. Yeah, this is my first fanfic on fanfiction, so wish me luck! I'm going to have a hell of a lot of mistakes on here, even with spell-check… .. Yeah, so. . . :B

Disclaimer: Do you think I _own _kingdom hearts? Very funny, human.

Yvonne was now a small stretch of land that kids visited whenever they could, where they could think and play. Half-finished tree houses nestled in the top boughs of the tall palm trees near the beach, belonging to the younger children, who didn't know what the ocean winds could do to the wood, while the taller trees at the edge of the forest always went to the elders, marked by coconut shells with marks engraved in them, marks unique to each person. Sixteen already, I had only two years of this island to enjoy, and didn't know how I would spend it. My own tree-house had long been finished, I had nothing productive to do but lie in the sand and contemplate the sky.

Even now, I lay on the soft sand, staring up at the clear blue sky blankly, the bright sun beating down on me, warming my deeply tanned skin. The roar and crash of the cool ocean waters soothed my mind, which had suffered under the cruel grip of my many teachers all day. It seemed, as the years passed, my teachers added more and more work to the load so that our minds stayed mush. Finals were fast approaching, of course, so I'd have all summer to look forward to on Yvonne.

A shadow fell upon me, and I pulled myself out of my trance to look at the person responsible for blocking my sun; my 'friend' Esmerelda. Upon normal circumstances, I would try and stay far away from her. Yvonne, unfortunately, was too small for such a thing, and she, thinking that I was a friend of hers, seemed to always follow me around. I couldn't scream at her and swear; Elders had the duty of, unfortunately, setting an example for the next line of elders. If they saw one of the old elders shouting at another person on Yvonne, then they thought that it must be okay to yell and order around the other, younger, children. I resigned myself to talking to her, noticing, almost shocked, that there was black nail polish on her nails.

She smiled, almost mockingly, and asked in an extremely high and sugar sweet voice, "Want to play with me? All of my friends have to finish their homework, and until then, I'm on my own over here, and it's ever so lonely when I'm by myself." Her bright blue eyes showed pleading, almost swimming in tears, while the sun hitting her platinum blond hair almost blinded me. I raised an eyebrow; her hair was _never _that shade of blond.

I glared up at her, and closed my eyes once more, so that I wouldn't be blinded, "Buzz off. Just because this is a free place doesn't mean that I have to be nice to you."

She sniffed, "But. . But, you. . I thought you would. .."

Sighing, I sat up; my peaceful afternoon ruined, and looked at her. She was wearing a silly pink dress loaded with lace and frills, along with high and expensive looking boots. Those were no clothes to be running around in, playing war and the other stuff that I normally played with the other kids. I crossed my arms over my knees, and rested my hands on the shape formed there, frowning, "How old are you, anyway?" To my own judgment, she looked to be about twelve, yet spoke in a cultured way.

She looked at me, and answered, as bright as the sunlight that fell upon her blond head, "Sixteen on the twentieth!"

I stared at her. She must have been lying. "You're sixteen? An _elder_? That isn't possible; I'm already sixteen!"

Now it was her turn to stare at me, "You look like you're twenty!" She pointed a small and elegant finger at me, as though she were accusing me of some heinous crime, though her eyes were twinkling mischievously. Now she was thinking that I was old? I stood, and walked away, not paying the least attention to her, as she apologized over and over again for a stupid mistake, my anger bubbling right below the surface. Did she even know the age limit on when we could visit?

A grove of trees lay to our right, so I made a beeline toward it, ones that no one had tried to make into tree-houses just yet. The trees here were all palm trees, easy enough to climb if you knew how, that was. Esmerelda looked like she had never even tried to climb a ladder, let alone a tree. In those clothes, I don't think she could even climb the ladder. One of the trees had several marked coconut shells at the trunk, a clear sign to anyone else that it was my perch, and people would do well to steer clear. That was one of the perks of being older; all of the younger kids left you alone.

I sat at the top, my fingers intertwined under my chin, and I critically watched the kids by the shore, who were trying to make a raft so that they could explore the ocean, too. One was vainly trying to tie together the logs, so that they would form a platform, but large gaps lay in between the large logs, a sure disaster if they tried to float on it. I sighed; they'd drown if they tried to get off the island on something like that. I'd stop them once they tried to leave, and destroy their raft in the night, saying that a storm did it, or a wild animal. I was quite good at covering my tracks with animal paw prints, after years of practice of making sure that they didn't hurt their selves.

Esmerelda's voice came floating up from the bottom of the tree, "Can I come up too?"

I looked down at her, slightly amused, "If you can make it both down and up without any help, then sure."

She cheered, and I turned my attention away from her, to the kids once more, climbing up in the tree to get a better view, so that I was sitting on the juncture of the fronds, a favorite place for me to hang out. Another kid was jumping up and down angrily, his red head bouncing up and down with his movements, looking, amusingly, like a bouncy ball. I laughed at him, and sat back, enjoying the show as they tried to move the raft a bit so that the tide wouldn't wash it out, and managed to pull it apart.

A blond head peeked over the edge at the kids, "Ooh, they look so funny down there! Is there any room for me up here?"

I moved to the side, surprised, "You made it up here in those boots and dress?"

"Nope! I had pants and a shirt underneath. I took off my boots."

I looked at her. She looked like a normal sixteen year old girl now, wearing spandex pants that went to her knee, and an over-large black tank top. Her hair was tied back into a sloppy horse tail held by a red ribbon, while her feet were bare and dirty. Her voice was deeper, too, and hoarse, "You don't seem the type to wear that." I told her, surprised.

"I'm the type, don't worry. Sorry about tricking you before; it was so funny to watch you get frustrated with me."

I blinked, "Wait, you're saying that you did that to trick me?" I glared at her.

"I'm an actress! I had a play before coming here, so had no time to take off any of my costume or get changed. Was my hair dyed right? It used to be black, but, after that last time I got it died, it's been turning steadily whiter."

I reached out, so that I could see the roots of her hair, and then nodded, "Pretty excellent. Even your eyebrows are done."

She laughed, "If I didn't have my eyebrows done, then people would look at me funny. Ooh, look! He got brained!" Her laughter turned into an evil giggle, as she watched the boys quarrel near the raft. It was caused by one boy who was precariously holding a long stick, who had, by accident, hit his friend over the head with it.

I joined in with her laughter, then sighed, "Well, I'm going to have to get down there before fighting breaks out; we can't have the boys going home, covered in bruises."

Someone hailed me from the tree trunk, "Raine! Do you want to go swimming with me?"

I peered down through the fronds of the palm tree, instantly recognizing that voice, "What, again? I don't have my swimsuit with me, Tori-kun!"

Hatori wrinkled his nose in mock disgust, "Ugh, don't use that nickname! It sounds like a girl's. And it doesn't matter if you have a swimsuit or not; we can go skinny-dipping!"

I threw a conveniently placed coconut at him, "Go to hell, pervert." Without seeing if I hit him or not, I sat back on the top of the palm tree again, next to Esmerelda. "Watch out of him; he's a major pervert."

She giggled, "Oh that I don't mind; He's good looking enough that I can forgive him."

I laughed so hard at that, that I almost fell out of the tree in my amusement. Esmerelda caught my arm, and hauled me back up straight, "Oh, thanks Esmerelda!"

Her face twisted as though that word was a bad taste in her mouth, "Just Em will do. Esmerelda is more of a show name than anything of matter. I don't really use it as my own name any longer."

I looked at her, "Okay, then. Well, I'm going to head down. From the look of things, a full out brawl is going to break out down there if I don't do something."

I climbed down the tree, monkey-like, showing that I had probably more skills than her acting had provided her with, and landed in the soft sand, kicking off my own shoes so that I could run around barefoot. Em followed me down by my side, and picked up my shoes from the sand, "I know a place where these will be safe from both prying eyes and hands, and from the storms. That's where I spend my times on the beach, out of the rain. Want to see?"

I was torn between wanting to see Em's secret area, and going down to the beach and stopping a potential disaster. I sighed, "Could I see it later, after I break them up? I don't want them coming home with too many bruises, and drawing suspicion to our paradise." With that, I ran off to stop the boys, Em heading off in a different direction.

D/N: Okay! throws arms into the air along with confetti BONZAI! I finished my first chapter! It's much longer than my Prologue, but bear with me. I'm still trying to break up one who story into smaller pieces, so that it's easier on the eyes. Uhhh. . . I think that's all. . . Um. .. eats pixie stix yeah, Read and Comment, and give me as many helpful bits of criticism as you possibly can! Okay! Thank you! Hahaha. . .

Wait, no, not yet. I might use references to some Japanese terms in here, because I'm weird like that. The name Hatori was lifted from Fruit's Basket and –kun is a term for a friend. thinks I know –chan is too personal… uh.. . . GAH! hits head against wall


	3. Chapter 2: Rafts

D/N: Umm. . . .bows Yesh. I must make my thanks for anyone who, so far, has read my FIRST story. Maybe not comment, but, still, at least someone read it. Okay, so, Uh, Hatori is kinda . .. perverted.

Disclaimer: . . .. If you think that I own Kingdom Hearts, then you're a sadly mistaken little person.

I ran off down to the beach, flinging sand behind me as I reached the dunes. Knowing that Hatori would follow me as soon as he saw me running, I choose to weave through the tallest and slipperiest dunes, ones that I used many times to annoy me. He couldn't resist a chase, especially when his "prey" was a female. As I turned a corner, I could hear him swear colorfully as he slipped in the sand, and snickered evilly.

The stretch of beach that the kids were working on their raft was a flat, wet patch that had no trees or dunes, and had the maximum amount of sun, wet sand, and water. This was the place to be when you wanted a tan or a meeting place for some of the games that are often played on the beaches, such as capture the flag or even tag. There was always someone watching the younger children in the water, someone who knew how to swim and save anyone who might have stupidly floated out too far; our own personal lifeguard. Yet, the last incident like that was years ago, when one child had built their own raft, and, when no one was watching, set sail, only to have it fall apart from under her feet after a few hundred feet out in the water. One of the Elders had fortunately been about at that time, and that was also the time when the elders finally decided to secretly dismantle any hand-made raft that they saw the other kids building, only allowing the use of good boats, and proven vessels that wouldn't be likely to leak when they were sailed. I had two of such boats, and took them out frequently with some of the children, who loved the experience.

The kids in question were in the center of this stretch of beach, and two of the boys were yelling at each other at the top of their lungs, surrounded by the others. At such a close range to the two, I could discern what they were saying, but it was something that I had rather not heard from kids their age.

The first boy I had spotted, a small child with a bright shock of orange hair, roared, "Damn you! I did it by accident! Why can't you listen to what I say!"

The second boy, a kid who had a rather large amount of sand in his black hair retorted, "Well, then you'll better goddamn well watch where you are going and accidents won't happen! Dick!"

A girl looked up, past the two fighting boys, her resigned face showing that she had given up trying to control them any longer, and her face brightened up as she saw me. I strolled up to the two casually, and picked them up by the back of their shirts, pulling them away from each other, "What're your names?" I asked, as simply as if I had run into them on the street.

The orange haired kid's face fell, the color draining from his cheeks, realizing the trouble he could be in for picking a fight, "Fred."

The other kid tried to look calm, "Peter."

"Haha! What boring names! I'm Raine. Now, I've been here long enough to see a lot of fights when one makes a raft, but this is pathetic! Do you know how many times I've been whacked over the head with a log and did not complain? Do you want a _girl_ to get the better of you?"

"But you're old!" That was Peter, the insolent one, it seemed.

"Sixteen to be exact! The first time I had my head bashed by a log was when I was about eight or nine, and I think that's much younger than you two. So a really _little_ girl is being better than the two of you."

Silence stretched between us, the two boys looking at each other as though they were going to bolt as soon as I let go. The girl nervously put in, "Do you think you could help us build this? I'm afraid we don't know anything about raft building."

I shook my head, still cheerful, "None of the other Elders will allow me, and you know that. Remember the story of Meredith? How she almost floated away?"

They nodded, duly, and I continued, "Well, that's why I can't help you. I'd be stripped of my privilege to come down here, you know, or my parents will know, and that's not something that I want to happen. How about you go and practice building sand sculptures, or something? They're easy, and fun. Last year, we held a sculpting contest; we'll do that again if we have enough interest. There's all sorts of prizes, depending on how you rank And, as I recall, the first-prize last year was an x-box."

They eagerly scrambled off, Peter and Fred acting friendly once again, their differences seemingly forgotten over the possibility of winning a gaming system. I chuckled, and turned, to head back up the dunes and back to my tree, where Em was no doubt waiting for me. Hatori launched himself from behind one of the dunes, and threw me to the ground behind another, pinning my arms effectively, "I caught up to you! Yes! Now, are you going swimming with me!"

"How about when I have a swimsuit? School is almost out, so I should be wearing one almost every single day this summer. Good?"

"When will that be?" He looked hopeful.

"Pervert. Tomorrow, then, okay? I mean, come on, today the water is probably freezing! The water has had only a few days of warmth and sun; give it time to warm up, first. I've got to get back to Em." I stood up, but he clung to one calf.

"What, you, of all people, are hanging out with Em! You! What has this world come-"

"I got a new bathing suit for this summer."

He stopped in the middle of his rant, and looked at me, "Bikini or one piece?"

"A nice bikini. What do you say?"

He stared off into space, and smiled, misty eyed, "Oh, a sexy g-string, if I have any say in it. . . With string ties? And a low bikini line, with a small top? Barely modest, of course. I mean, there are kids here, and other men!"

He ducked as I tried to smack him over the head, and he laughed, running toward the water, "I hope its cold! I'm going to need it!"

I laughed, watching as he threw himself into the water with a yelp, and turned, resuming my march through the dunes, back to my tree, where Em sat at the bottom of, tossing a coconut into the air and catching it, only to toss it up in the air again, higher than the time before. I stopped, seemingly not noticed by Em, and snatched the coconut out of the air above her. She grinned goofily up at me, and asked, her voice receding into the little girl voice that she had before, "Ready to go, Raine?"

I stared down at her, "I'll throw the coconut at you if you talk like that again. But, yeah, I'm ready."

She threw herself on my legs pleadingly, "Oh, my mistress! Don't throw that hard coconut at me! It'll damage my pretty little porcelain bones!"

I couldn't help it; I began to giggle insanely, and fell down, backwards and onto my back, "Ow, Em! Be _careful_! Let's go, then!"

She stood, and helped me up, instantly her happily calm self that I had become friends with a few minutes ago. "Yes, let's! I think that it's going to rain soon, actually. I took a quick peek to the northeast while you were gone." She led the way to the thick undergrowth that separated the real forest from our paradise, and the path that led directly out of paradise and into the forest was about a mile up the beach, only a couple hundred feet from the shoreline, which, for someone who was any bigger than Hatori, who was skinny for his age, would probably get stuck. That's why there weren't that many Elders here, since they weren't able to squeeze through the undergrowth.

Em unflinchingly lifted an overlarge fern leaf which dripped webs onto her head, and beckoned me to follow her after she had crawled under. I did as she asked, and found myself in the middle of tangled underbrush. Em looked around, her lips pursed, as if in confusion, and then she laughed, to herself, and pushed aside some vines confidently, and warned me, "There's poison ivy hanging down over here. Don't let it brush your head; I don't want you getting any of it on you."

I nodded, and ducked as soon as I passed the vines, even though I couldn't see the poison ivy; it was always better to be safe than sorry. Em stopped at a large oak tree, tangled in a mess of vines, bushes and ferns. She thrust a rather large bush aside and revealed a large cavern created by the entangled plants, which had enough light filtering down from above that we both would be able to see, yet was tight enough together that we wouldn't get wet by the rain at the roof. Em jumped from the ledge and landed on the soft, surprisingly carpet-covered bottom of the cavern, and offered to help me down, but I ignored her offer, and landed lightly on all fours.

I straightened, and looked around curiously at the other man-made items in the room. A few beanbags lined one wall, looking as if they were rarely used, while a few sleeping bags were rolled in a corner, stacked up in a neat pyramid, along with several pillows and extra blankets. Em winked at me, "I always sleep out here, and I've been looking for some people to sleep here with. I don't exactly have that many friends, with my job keeping me busy so often. Maybe we'll sleep here from time to time? You, of course, can use it whenever you want."

I heard a rumble of thunder above, and thought for a moment, hearing that the storm was still a bit away, "Do you mind if I invite Hatori down here? I'm sure that he'll be happy to be out of the rain. He likes swimming, but doesn't like the rain for some reason."

Em plopped down on a beanbag, stretching out comfortably, "Sure! I have plenty of snacks down here to last several months! It might be cut down to only a month or two with a guy, but, still; he won't eat us out anytime soon, you know."

I grinned, and hopped back up onto the entrance, and pulled the bush aside, which was lighter than it looked, and she called, from behind, "Are you sure you remember the way back?"

I tapped my temple playfully, "Of course, m'dear! I'll be right back, and set up a few sleeping bags! I bet we'll be here all night."

She nodded with a giggle, and began unrolling a few sleeping bags as I ran off, almost forgetting about the poison ivy and ducking right before getting a face full of the nasty plant. I found Hatori in my tree, sitting at the top and looking out at the incoming clouds, distaste on his face. I waved to him as soon as I reached the trunk and called, "Hatori! If you promise not to molest me, then I'll take you to a place out of the rain."

He looked down at me, curiously, "I'm game. Let's go!" He leapt down from the tree with the audacity that I never could dare, and I led him to the secret area without another word.

I pushed aside the bush, and pointed down into the cavern, "I have my cell phone, so we can call home if the storm gets too bad, and say that we found a place in the woods to spend the night. You know, the tree house, the same excuse as always."

He leapt down, rolling once he hit, barely graceful, yet still warrior to the core, and I followed him, cat-like like always. He greeted Em with a grin, "Hey, girl! You look different, somehow."

I whacked him over the head, "That's not how you greet someone, idiot!"

He rubbed the spot where I hit him, then bowed, "Sorry about that, Em. Good to meet you. My name's Hatori."

Em giggled, "Aw, don't get formal on me! You were cuter when you were rude."

Hatori mouthed, as though at a loss for words and began to blush. I laughed at him, "Em, you broke through his tough exterior! Girl, you're cool!"

"Well, I _do_ try." She tapped Hatori on the shoulder lightly, "Aww, come on, stop doing that. You look like-"

Something thundered outside of our shelter, and I yelped; it was too close too soon. Hatori and Em gazed, frightened, up at the top of the shelter as there was more rumblings, and then silence. There was not the comforting hiss of rain that followed. Hatori glanced around, and chuckled nervously, "Are you scared of a little thunder, Raine?"

I shook my head violently, "No way in hell could that be thunder, Haa-chan." I climbed up onto the ledge, and then was about to pull the bush aside. Both Em and Hatori were by my side as they realized what I was about to do.

"No, Raine! Don't go out; you don't know what is out there!" Hatori hissed in my ear, his hands tightening on my shoulders. Em grabbed one of my arms to restrain me the best she could.

"But how will we know what is out there if we don't look? If you're that nervous, then how about we all go out together, so that we'll be able to observe more, and yank the others back out of danger?"

They exchanged glances, and then both nodded almost at once, "That sounds like the best thing to do, then." Em decided, and we took a deep breath and pulled aside the bushes at once.

D/N: I had a lot of trouble cutting this section off. Hahaha, Yeah. Okay. Read and review and leave as many little _helpful_ criticisms as possible! Hehehe. bows Thank you for being so patient with me! We'll get to action in the next chapter, I promise! I needed the first three chapters to set up. .. XD bows again


	4. Chapter 3: Shadows Emerge

D/N: Ummm. .. yeah. .. My next chapter, you know. It has a hell of a lot more action, which is good. We're delving deeper and deeper into the plot! Oh, and from now on, I'm going to take longer to post the chapters, cause I have to do stuff. Yeah.

Disclaimer: I don't own kingdom hearts. Squre-enix and Disney does, along with all of the others that helped to make the game.

Em screamed, right in my ear, while Hatori, who still had his hands on my shoulders, squeezed tightly in his own expression of fear. We were floating on a small island of land, while something whirled around us, the trees that were around us uprooted and flying around us. No one else could be seen on the small expanse of soil that was left around us. By some miracle, our shelter remained completely intact, as though something were holding it there. Em, misty eyed, slowly walked out to the middle of the soil, and I screamed after her, "Em! No, wait, don't go! You don't know what's out there!"

She looked back at me, her dyed blonde hair whipping into her face, "What is wrong with you, Raine? Why are you so scared?" Her voice was hard and deep; a man's voice. Startled, I looked back at Hatori and he shrugged; he didn't know what was happening either.

A shadow-like hand reached over the edge of the island, and Em turned toward it at our frightened screaming. The hand was followed by another, and then the torso of a monstrous being, all of it tangible shadow. It reached out a right hand toward Em, stopping right next to her. She looked back at us after clambering onto it and smiled icily at us, while her eyes were still a terrible blank, "Come with me, into the shadows, and join us! There are wishes that you have, I know, whishes that the shadows can form, can come to be true. All you have to do is to give your hearts to the shadows." Her man-voice was a whisper by the end, barely audible over a howling wind. Her hair whipped ever furiously around her, and then the shadow picked her up, clambering up onto the island in full, its face hidden in tentacles of shadow. Em was gone; the shadow must have done something to her. The shadow reached forward for us, and something murmured on the wind, sounding mysteriously of the Em's man-voice, '_You know you want to join us. Adventures await you, different planes of life. You want a new life; you want to be a _hero_. Come with us. _Come into the shadows!' I reached out toward the shadow; its promises were so tempting, and it sounded so sincere. Hatori yanked me back, so that we both tumbled onto the carpeted floor of our shelter in a heap. The shadow screamed as a wall of light blocked its reaching fingers, and it pulled away.

Hatori lay back on the dirt floor, panting. I stared at him for a moment, then shook my clouded head clear in time to hear him mutter, "I knew she wasn't good. How could she do that to us?"

I looked down at him for a moment, and then began to stretch a few kinks out of my back, "I think. . . I think, well, the shadow, or whatever is working behind it, is casting some sort of hypnotic spell. It almost entangled me, Haa-chan, and it would have gotten me, too, if you hadn't pulled me back in time. Its promises. .. They were everything I wanted!"

He sat up, and looked at me funny, "I don't think we'll live without joining it. You're stronger than me, emotionally at least, and I know it. But. . . I think you took a hypnotic spell for two; I heard no promises, and had no urge to go near it. You're the one who saved _me._ Do . . . Can you think of anyway to fight it?"

A whisper echoed around the small room, as though answering his question, _"You dreamed of powerful weapons, both of you. Weapons that you promised to fight the shadows with, weapons that will protect you and your loved ones. Your home is gone, engulfed by the shadows, while this spark of light will not last much longer against the power of darkness. Do you remember your duties?"_

I nodded, so did Hatori, and I muttered, "The power of a warrior, the power of a mage."

Hatori intoned, "The power of a mage, the power of a protector."

_"Yes, that is right. You both will have magic, you both are warriors, and you both are protectors. The ways you have chosen are your stronger points. The warrior is both good in magic and fighting, but defense is what you lack. The mage is good in both fighting and healing, but has not the pure strength of the warrior. Now, go forth with the weapons that are yours. Repent the shadows once more; send them to the dark cavern where they should remain."_

I hesitated, unsure as to what I should do now; I didn't feel very different. Something clanked, and a sudden weight was added to my body. I looked down, startled, and saw bronze armor covering my body, a heavy key-shaped weapon hanging from my belt. Hatori looked down at the staff that was in his hands, the steel that covered his body, which looked much more protective than my own.

He ran one finger down his arm guard, and whispered, "What is all of this? Why are we dressed like this?"

I shook my head, slowly, and unlatched the golden key. Runes were etched down the golden shaft, and the grip seemed _made_ for my hand, and only it. A small chain dangled from the handle's end, and looked detachable, as though that's how I upgraded my weapon. Feeling like I show off, I threw it in the air, and caught it again, almost with ease; I already knew what to do with it.

Hatori made a symbol with his free hand, and then shouted, "Fire!"

A blaze of fire appeared in midair, burned brightly for a moment, then faded into nothing as soon as Hatori broke off the magic with another hand-symbol. He looked at me, his eyes glittering in his excitement. "We have magic, Raine! We have _powers._"

I nodded and looked up at the entrance to our small hide out, and then looked back at Hatori, "This might be our only chance, you know. We might have to go now, initiate the attack, or be defeated by the shadows that wait outside. I don't think the one who gave us our powers wants us to die just yet."

He nodded in agreement, and we climbed up, together. At the top, I took a deep breath, and then hefted the key blade, "You follow me out of here, and watch the shadows as I open it up. I'm not so sure how fast I can work, so you'll have to watch out for me until we're free. Are you ready? I'll join in as soon as I get out. Haa-chan. . . . Are you sure you want to do this?"

He nodded, slightly, and then stopped me as I was about to attack the bush, "Wait, Raine. Don't die out there. I'm not sure what I'll do alone."

I grinned back at him, "If I die, who's going to save all of those young maidens you might come across? Let's go." With the key blade, I began to hack at the bottom of the bush, so that we wouldn't have to put down our weapons in order to leave. Fire lanced out at the shadowy hand that had darted down, as if to attack me, and, since the bush was already down, I blocked his other hand with my key blade, while Hatori used his staff to fend off what I could not. I lurched forward, and slashed at the creature's arm in a blind attack. There was a flash of light, and then the creature pulled back, howling in pain and clutching what remained of its hand.

I could sense that I might just be able to kill it, that it might fall back if I do this one thing. It could be dangerous, but it was the only way. Hatori called from behind me, "I don't have much magic left! I'm going to stick with physical attacks now!"

I nodded to him, and sliced at the shadow creature as it tried to get closer again, "Fall back, and just keep the smaller ones away. I can handle this myself, don't worry. Keep your magic in reserve unless I tell you I need it!"

Hatori screamed, and I turned to see him locked together with a few of the smaller shadows; they had decided to gang up on him. As I was distracted, the main shadow suddenly took that time to lunge forward and bury long black claws into my left shoulder. I screamed in pain, and then gritted my teeth and turned around to face the larger monster and struck again at it, ignoring the blood that flowed down my side. Hatori was at my side in a moment, and he called, pointing his staff at my wound, "Cure!"

I felt the wound stop bleeding, and then heal slightly, some of my energy replenished, "Thanks Hatori." He only nodded in response, his face ashen as he once again continued with his own onslaught against the smaller creatures. The large shadow-monster thrust out one hand, and buried it in the dirt. I took my chance, while it was performing a spell, to jump clumsily up its arm and strike it at the shoulder with the key blade. It roared, and began falling backwards, off of the island. Its teeth, revealed to me by the writhing tentacles, closed around my leg, as though it were going to drag me back with it. From far off, I could hear Hatori yelling as I hacked again and again at the monster's face, trying to make it let go before I was dragged into the shadowy void underneath the small patch of land.

As suddenly as it had gripped me, the creature let go of me, and I was thrown up in the air as the creature fell away from me, howling in both rage and pain. For a moment, it felt as though I were floating in nothing, that I was somehow flying above what was left of my world, a separate creature. Then I was falling faster and faster, right toward the green dome of the shelter.

As I fell through the branches, I could feel my bones break when they encountered thicker branches, and then my flesh being torn to ribbons by whipping branches. My decent was slowed by what I hit, but it wasn't enough. I hit the ground with a meaty thud, and a spray of blood from my mouth. Consciousness started to ebb slowly away from me along with the pain.

Hatori came sliding down the side of the shelter, throwing dirt everywhere. I remembered what he had said to me before the battle, remembered why I shouldn't die, and tried to fight against wave after wave of pain and nausea. He took out a small green bottle from a pouch by his side, hesitating to read the side, and then biting out the cork and dumping a nasty liquid into my mouth. Swallowing blood and vomit, I managed to gulp it down while Hatori, trembling, lay down on the carpet beside me. As soon as my stomach had settled, I could feel a strange magic flowing through me, mending the worst of my injuries.

With a groan, I sat up, mentally checking off what still needed to be mended; a broken wrist, wounded shoulder and hundreds of different cuts in my skin. Just by looking at Hatori, I could tell that he wasn't in much better shape than I was. Carefully, I reached into his pouch and counted how many of the small bottles of healing liquid he had left; nine in all. Hatori's eyes flickered open, and he opened his mouth automatically as I uncorked the green bottle. A few moments later he was sitting up, grimacing.

I croaked, dryly, "You look horrible."

He laughed dryly, "And you look like you've been through hell. How healed are you?"

"Enough for the moment. Drink another potion; I don't want you dying the next time we face one of those shadow-creatures."

He shook his head, "No. You need it more. I'll be fine after some food and rest. Having your magic drained isn't all that fun."

I drank another bottle of the green potion with a grimace, "Nasty stuff. Here," I remembered the hand gesture that Hatori made for me, and then murmured, "Cure." A green light flashed, and Hatori looked healthier, his skin regaining his normal pallor. My wrist and shoulder had already healed, along with most of my skin; the magic in the potion must target priorities, and heal until it runs out of power.

I leaned back against a bean-bag with a sigh, "Now what're we going to do?"

Hatori threw me a packet of chips, "Eat, rest, and hope that nothing happens until morning."

"And we'll know its morning. . . how?"

He shrugged, "How about rest until something happens?"

"That sounds about right . . . do you have any munny with you? We might need it if we're going to go anywhere."

Hatori held up a few golden pieces, "There's quite a bit in my pouch here. Look, you have the same pouch too!"

Startled, I reached in, clipping my key blade to my belt again, "Well, what do you know! I have potions, too. Not many, though."

We relaxed like that for a few moments, eating and drinking whatever Em had stored in here. I sighed, and threw an empty wrapper onto a sleeping back, resting against the wall, my eyes slowly closing; I was ready to sleep.

Suddenly, the ground began to buck and quake, as though on the back of a wild bull, and I was thrown into Hatori as he tried to scramble up, staff in his hands. "What the hell is happening!" I shouted over the loud rumbling.

His voice shook with the ground, "I don't know! But we should hold on!"

"To what!"

"Each other!" He cried out, throwing both arms around me in a desperate attempt to keep himself still.

Just as soon as it had started, the rumbling stopped, the ground stopped jumping. I almost let go of Hatori when the ground fell apart from under us, and we began to fall, screaming, toward a black void of moving shadows. We landed with a splash, and everything turned black.

D/N: Read and review, and my thanks to all of the people who actually read this far. Which doesn't seem to be many people,looking atthe review count. . . XD


	5. Chapter 4: Where are we?

D/N: Okay. I've finished with the stuff that I had already written. Now's the time for things chapters that'll take longer to post. Thank you all for the reviews. .. I can't remember usernames really well, so I apologize for not recognizing you properly. Heh; okay, we're going deeper and deeper into the plot. I don't really like the elements that Disney added, so I might be a bit bad and forsake some of them. Yet again, this is a new chapter and a new plot, so it might be much better to introduce a few new characters, right? Right! I think I'm typing too much. . . Who reads the author notes, anyway? shrugs I also need to edit this section a lot. . . My first couple chapters sucked bows deeply again Do not hurt me kind reviewers! Mwehehe. Onward my friends!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Those who created it know who they are, so why should they bristle about me feeling no inclination in mentioning them here? THEY SHOULD BE PROUD FOR BEING THE CREATORS FOR SUCH A MAGNIFICENT GAME!rants until Devura corks her up and drags her away from the keyboard Ahem; kudos to Squaresoft and Disney.

Unceremoniously, Em was dumped into a small and dingy room, her platinum hair shining white in the semi-darkness. She sat up, slowly, and dragged herself over to the cot in the corner of the room, clutching at her pounding head. Despite being reassured that she would come to no harm here, the darkness that clung to her skin cold and clouding her soul; it scared her to feel so cold so deep inside of her heart and soul.

There were no doors that she could see; only a small bar at the top of the wall above the cot that looked like a window, for ventilation, she expected. The cot itself was covered in a rough sacking that smelt musty, but clean, like it had not been used by anything alive for a very long time.

When she stood up on tiptoes to look out the window, to perhaps call for help from someone outside, she stood there, shocked. A shiver wound its way down her spine and to her tailbone, a shuddering jerk passing through her body, as though she was throwing a fit. Outside, the sky was the black of freshly spilt India ink, the land only a few feet away completely invisible to her. The flickering torches that were set outside her window in brackets barely penetrated the darkness; it seemed to swallow the light up in its depths. This is the land of the shadows, no doubt about it, and Hatori and Raine weren't here with her; she was alone is a cold black world.

One of the smooth stone walls slid back sharply, Em crying out and falling to lie, spread-eagled, on the floor. A tall shadow walked in through the doorway, not noticing her uncomfortable position. It whispered to her, its mouth undistinguishable from the rest of its body, its voice like the smooth underbelly of a snake whispering across sand, "Our master will see you now. He apologizes for locking you up so; there was a mistake when you were taken here. You were meant to be a guest, not a prisoner."

Em hesitated before taking the shadow's outstretched limb. Blindly, she thought as the rubbery and cold flesh pulsated unpleasantly under her skin, _Arm? Hand? Tentacle? What could it be?_ Her experience with shadows was limited; she knew nothing about what their anatomy was like, or if they were supposed to resemble a certain species that she knew of.

The shadow led her up several stone staircases, barely lighted by torches that were firmly bolted to the wall. The shadow paused, and then placed its hand on a patch of bare stone, uninterrupted by the seemingly random torches. Slowly, it slid back, and the shadow escaped into the ones cast by the torches, leaving Em to enter alone, trembling.

Light. Light so bright that turned the backs of my eyelids red. I groaned, and shifted over from my back onto my side, not wanting to let go of the warmth of sleep; it was so pleasant, much different from the suffocating dark. The word reverberated around my head, as though it should mean something, and I frowned in my sleep. What was it? What was wrong with the dark?

Suddenly, I shot up, finally wide awake. The dark, the shadows, of course! Where was Hatori? What was this place? Who was I? Quickly, I shook my head to get rid of my sense of disorientation. Something bit into the back of my thighs as feeling returned, and I winced, removing the object; I had been sitting on the key blade for who knows how long.

I looked around, and quickly assessed my surroundings, not knowing what could threaten me now. Behind me was a bright streetlamp, a perfect hole in the glass covering it, perfect for shining in the place where my face had been only a few moments ago. Hatori was sprawled on the cobblestones a few feet away, looking as if he was asleep. Nothing looked abnormal about this place, except for the fact that it was slightly old fashioned; the buildings were something that I had seen in only my social studies text books, the chapter on the Renaissance. What shadows were cast by the objects were normal, which looked as tangible as a cloud was.

I used the key blade in order to keep my balance as I stood; I had been lying on it for too long, both of my legs asleep. Painfully, wincing as every new wave of pins and needles ran through my legs, I hobbled over to my friend, poking him with one toe, "Get up, stupid."

He moaned, and turned on his side away from me, "Ten more minutes, mom."

"I'm not your mother! Get the hell up!" Losing my temper, I kicked him, and promptly fell back onto my butt; I was still weak and my balance was shot. How long had I been lying there, anyway? I had neglected to wear a watch that morning; that was probably a bad decision on my part.

Hatori yelped as he was kicked, and rolled for a bit, before coming to a rest on his back, blinking owlishly at the sky. "Did you have to kick me?" He asked, sluggishly, the remnants of sleep still clinging to him.

"Yes, or you'd never get up. Come on, I don't know how long we can remain safe." I scrambled once more onto my feet, offering a hand to help him up.

Suddenly, Hatori surged to his feet, nearly knocking me over once more, and cried out, "What happened? Where are the shadows!"

"Shh, Haa-chan, calm down. I don't know where we are, yes, but I don't see anything that could harm us just yet."

He frowned, pointing at the buildings around us. "They're so strange. Are you sure it isn't a trap?"

I followed to where his finger pointed; only the bare wall of a building, "What's so strange about them?"

"Look. They don't have any windows or doors. How are people supposed to go in and out?"

This time, I looked at the detail of the buildings, which I hadn't bothered with before. He was right. The walls were bare of adornment of all sorts, and a uniform brown. Nothing on the surface showed us where a simple entrance was. It was as though we were trapped in a maze-like prison.

Hatori's hands moved in a strange gesture, his mouth moving in a silent spell. Suddenly, a green light formed and grew, and he was holding his staff between both hands, eyes warily looking around. "Keep your weapon ready; I don't want to get caught unprepared."

My key blade was in my hands almost as soon as he had finished telling me; I did not need to be told twice with such suspicious surroundings. Hatori began to slowly step forward toward the only exit out of this small dead end, eyes flickering around. I stopped him, one hand on his shoulder, "Let me go first. I can handle an attack, you, not so much. If the time comes, I'm sure you can pull up a barrier."

"I don't know that spell yet," He told me, wryly, but still allowed me to be the leader; it took several moments for him to cast a spell, but I could defend myself near instantly. That is, if I didn't freeze up first.

As we neared the edge, the sound of heavy shoes hitting pavement reached my ears. I looked back at Hatori, and he nodded, eyes wide, and I readied my key blade to strike as the sound came closer and closer to us.

D/N: Cliffhanger. :P Sorry about the long break. Many things had to be done before I could finish this. So, the long awaited new chapter!

Read and review and don't hold back on any flames! Hehehe.


	6. Chapter 5: a maze and an Attack

D/N: Another chapter. Ah, how fond I have grown with this story. It's a pity I've been so busy. Anyway, we left off with a cliffhanger last time. ' Hehe, I love cliffhangers. They're so much fun to write.

So, let's get on with the new segment!

Disclaimer: Do I really need this? Oh, pooh on a stick; Kingdom hearts belongs to Disney and Squaresoft. Etc. Etc. Etc. Em, Hatori and Raine all belong to me, 'cause I'm special like that.

Hatori drew in a quick breath as the heavy footsteps came closer and closer to where we are. I had frozen to the spot, key blade raised to defend myself, but I doubted my brain would react in time to block any enemy attack.

Suddenly, as if teleported to the spot, the creature whom the footsteps belonged to came to a skidding halt before me. With a shock, I realized it was actually a human female, rather short and with a feathering of medium length brown-red hair dusting her shoulders. She wore a strange outfit of black comfortable-looking pants and a low-cut tank top. In her hands she held a rolled up chain-whip that had a lethal looking blade dangling under her curled fist.

From behind me came a startled gasp, and I glanced at Hatori out from the corner of my eyes. He whispered, eyes wide, "Miss Tanaka? W-what are you doing here?"

Blinking, I turned toward my music teacher, and realized that it was her, out of the girlish pink skirts and fashionable blouses she normally wore when I saw her in front of the class. She sighed, "I had hoped it wouldn't be you two, but I have to deal with what I have. Come on now, children, we have to get somewhere safe. The shadows are coming."

Hatori looked as if he might follow her, but I planted myself firmly to the spot, the shock of having my teacher show up in such a strange place already wearing off, "Why are you here Miss Tanaka? Where is everyone? I'm not going anywhere until I have a few answers."

Miss Tanaka looked at me, exasperated, and asked, "Do you really have to question me now?" She held up a hand to stop us from answering, and shook her head, "No, don't answer it. I'll explain everything once you come with me. It'll be safer, and I promise I'll answer as many questions as possible."

I hesitated, but I could imagine that I could hear the scratching of shadow-claws on wood and stone, and decided that it would be safest listening to her. I didn't trust her completely, but she I could handle over another barrage of attacks. She glanced over her shoulder, warily, and then nodded to us, "Keep up. I don't want you to fall behind. Especially you, Raine. What you hold in your hands is most important to the entire universe right now. If the key blade falls into the wrong hands, I shudder to think what might happen."

Miss Tanaka turned, and began to run around the corner. I managed to trade one wary glance with Hatori before following, hoping that we could keep up.

The road curled around, maze-like, various forks in the road suddenly appearing out of nearly nowhere. Miss Tanaka followed a route that seemed to be embedded deep in her mind, for she did not hesitate, even when the road split into four.

A strong gust of wind howled through the maze-streets, and caused my dyed blue hair to flare dramatically around my face, blocking my vision and getting into my mouth. Miss Tanaka paused, and then her face grew pale. She threw herself back, her whip unraveling with the chink of the chain that held the blade. "Get behind me, children!"

I hesitated before listening to her; what did we have to hide from? We were warriors also, perhaps not as powerful as she, but we still were able to defeat the large shadow-creature from before. Regretfully, I fell back behind her, looking around for the shadows that might come from behind.

The wind's howl rose to a shriek that yanked at our clothes and threatened to bowl the two of us over. Miss Tanaka stood strong against the wind, whip held under one foot to keep it from hitting any of us. As the wind reached the point of lifting us off of the ground, it just stopped without warning. My ears popped from the lack of pressure, and I whispered, fear beginning to fill me once again, "What is happening?"

"They are coming. Get ready; you may have to join the battle also." Her eyes remained trained forward the entire time, flickering, watching around.

Hatori pressed close, as did I, watching carefully. From over the roof flew three strange dragon-like creatures, black scaled with long wicked-looking snouts. One for each of us to battle, it seemed. Miss Tanaka hissed, "They are the dogs of the shadows. They used to be living creatures from a different world, an island isolated from humans. Watch their bite; it is poisonous, and their claws can rip through the weak armor that you wear. Do not linger in one spot or they will get you." She pointed up as the circled above us, snarling and spitting vilely, "Look at their chests. That mark there? Aim for it. It is their weakest point. The scales on their bodies are much too hard for your weapons to pierce; only the key blade can cut through them, but that takes work. Here they come!"

The three dragons dove, splitting up to go for each of us. Mine was the largest of the three, the one with a necklace around its neck, while the small silver heart-like shape was the smallest of the three. Miss Tanaka shouted a war cry, and lunged forward with another crack of her whip, drawing the dragon close with the weapon.

I took my eyes off of my teacher as the dragon dove faster, and I rolled away as it hit the cobblestones in an explosion of stone shards and dirt. It snarled, blue-black fire dancing at the edges of its mouth, turning its golden eyes to face me. I held up the key blade, heart beating quickly. This creature seemed to be much more dangerous than the shadows. It lunged at me with a slash of wicked claws, and I stumbled backwards, the blow glancing off of the metal of the key blade. Again, Miss Tanaka shouted another war cry, the whip cracking over and over again, covering the sound of Hatori's incantations. My own dragon fell back, a snarl on its face, watching me warily, limping on the claws that had been blocked by my key blade, a ghastly orange-yellow blood dripping from the wound there.

Hatori yelled, in pain, from behind me. I turned at the sound, hoping that he was living. Hot pinpoints of pain drove deep into my left shoulder, and claws gripped my left arm firmly so that I could not escape. It was my turn to scream in pain, my key blade flashing with a pulse of magic. The creature was flung back by the force of the magical attack, and was thrown into one of those strange buildings; it held under the creature's weight.

I rushed forward without thinking, not feeling the hot blood drip down my side, or the sizzle of poison on my clothes and armor. All I saw was the pained dragon as it tried to right itself, its back leg seeming to be broken, and not willing to bear its weight. The key blade swung in a large silver arc, and I slashed through the soft flesh of the mark on its chest. With a snarl, the dragon tried to claw at me again, but its body had begun to dissolve when I had given it the fatal blow.

One of my arm guards clattered to the ground as I turned, wearily, to face my companions. Hatori's leg bled freely, but he was still gamely casting spells at the burning dragon that flapped its wings desperately, trying to put out the flames. Miss Tanaka's whip cracked again and again, lashing the dragon mercilessly. She yanked a dagger from her side, and plunged it deep into the mark on her dragon's chest as it let down its guard for a moment, one of its large claws trapped by the whip. The dragon faded away with a brief bellow of hate, and Miss Tanaka turned to help Hatori, whose magic was not strong enough yet to pierce the think hide just yet. His face was a grimace of pain bathed in sweat. I stood, shakily, and began to run over to them, key blade ready, for Miss Tanaka was slow; she had tripped on loose cobblestones, her flesh on one of her hands scraped away by the stone.

I lashed out at the dragon as it threatened to attack Hatori again; its eyes wildly alight with its want for revenge. Hatori fended off another attack as it tried to swipe me aside. With the distraction, I plunged my weapon into its chest with a mighty heave, almost slipping in the blood on the ground.

Hatori collapsed on the cobblestones, his staff disappearing in a wave of light. Miss Tanaka walked over to us, her face worn, but still smiling. "Isn't this fun? Let's go now."

"Hatori's injured!" I snarled, glaring at her, "He needs rest."

"I'll be fi-"

"I don't want you dying of blood loss." I interrupted him, with a glance back before glaring up at the teacher again.

She gave him a green potion bottle, "Drink this. You'll feel better in a moment. We must go as soon as possible. Once Caeda, the leader of the shadows, or heartless, as they were once called, finds out that these three were defeated, she will send more to stop us."

Hatori drained the potion in a few grateful gulps, and closed his eyes as the potion knitted together his flesh, and replaced the blood he had lost. His eyes flickered open after a moment, and he looked at me, "What about you? Your sleeve is soaked with blood."

"Don't worry about me. Let's go; I don't want to fight any more for today."

Miss Tanaka was off again, leading the way, as soon as we showed that we were able to stand, though she went slowly so that we could follow her without falling too far behind.

At the edge of the maze-town, she stopped, and turned toward us, "Mention nothing about the key blade. Your weapon. . . . Hide it with your magic."

"How?" I was bewildered by her words. Hatori knew how to hide his weapon, yes, but he was also the mage. He knew of things that I did not know when it came to magic.

She stared at me, and then told me, slowly, "Draw it into your body, as though it has been a part of you your entire life. It will listen to you, and will manifest itself into a form that you will be always on your body. Try, fast."

I looked down at the key blade, biting my lip in my concentration. The key blade whispered in the back of my mind, and it faded away in my hand into a silver mist. I watched as the mist curled around my right wrist and hand, creating a strange bracelet and ring, attacked by a chain. From the bracelet hung the same key chain that was attacked to the end of the key; it reminded me, each time it bumped against my flesh with a soft clink of metal, I remembered that it was there. There would be no way that I could forget about the powerful weapon that I carried.

Miss Tanaka smiled, and turned away, "Good. Let's go. We're nearly at the town itself. We're going to a town which is for the people who had lost their homes to the shadows. I remember the name as "Traverse Town". You might find people you know there, but try your hardest not to talk to them. If you get separated from me, then you have no choice, but try not to."

"Yes Miss Tanaka." Hatori said, demurely. His face was exhausted; he probably could not take too much more of this. I felt the same way he looked, and laid a sympathetic hand on his arm.

"Don't worry too much. Just rest your mind as we move."

He smiled dryly, "Oh, I'm relaxing. Pity there isn't any really pretty woman around to help me relax."

Both Miss Tanaka and I whapped him over the head before continuing on; he was feeling better, all right.

We left the maze-town, and behind us came the sound of grinding stone; the place where the three of us had exited was gone now, only an empty hillside, as though we had simply walked across the land to get here. I muttered, darkly, "To hell with this world. It's like it wants to kill us."

Miss Tanaka laughed wryly, her own eyes facing forward, "This is normal for the lands you have to travel now. That was an illusion of the shadows. They rely on such tricks to get you to let down your guard, to become panicked, and then you won't be able to escape, and their minions would get you in the maze. Look," Her finger extended out to point in the distance, "Traverse town. Our makeshift home."

I looked toward where she was pointing, and saw, glittering only a few hundred feet away, stood a large town with doors, light, and the scent of burning wood. Smoke rose from the chimneys; this was more like a town. This would make a good place to have a home.

D/N: As you might notice, soon enough, I like fight scenes, but I suck at writing them. XD. And I'm sorry if I have a few pieces of third person in here. I've been writing IN third person before doing this chapter, and I have to transition.

Whoever guesses who Miss Tanaka really is gets pixie stix. You'll find out who it really is next chapter. (and perhaps you'll be surprised. . .? I don't know any of you all that well, so. .. .XD)

Read and review, and all flames are welcome! bows


	7. Chapter 6: Revelation

D/N: I've been a writing machine! Oooh yeaaah! Hahaha! CHAPTER SEVEN! WOOHOO! happy dances across the room Meh-hehe. Imagine what I would do for a later

chapter.

New chapter, new fun. Muawahahahaha.

In the town were many strange people, their dress matching the buildings that they seemed to be from. Ladies carrying groceries whispered and pointed at us as we passed them, watching us, scared. Men, who were also on the street, sometimes carrying worn and well-used weapons or tools, stared at us gruffly. I drew closer to Hatori, hand touching the key blade, warily watching everyone. There was no way I would be caught off guard with only humans.

Children followed us, curiously, but did not venture too close. Miss Tanaka touched my arm, eyes warning me silently, and I let go of my bracelet. She whispered, looking around for something, "I don't want them to think we're hostile toward them. It's the shadows we worry about, and this town is too bright, too highly protected, for them to enter. There are other districts to this town, mind you, that aren't as protected as this main part, but we're only staying here."

"I hope you're sure."

"If I wasn't, I would not say anything. Ah, here we are. The Tangled Mane."

Both Hatori and I looked up at the tavern that Miss Tanaka had stopped at. It was a large tavern, and the rowdy singing of large men that were drunk floated out through the open door. She grinned at both of us, "This is the best tavern in town. You won't be disappointed when it comes to lodging, food and entertainment. I'd add drink also, but you both are much too young." She looked back up at the sign, and then entered the tavern briskly, hand touching the chain belt that was the transformed version of her whip, in case she might need it.

I followed briskly, only glancing back at Hatori, who still looked amazed by the town around us. Inside, the tables were full of rowdy men, drinking large quantities of what I could only think of as alcohol. On the other side of the vast room was a large, merrily roaring fire that made the room cozy, and cast plenty of light upon the occupants. It was a pleasant crowd that we could see; no one looked like they would attack us unless we attacked them first.

Miss Tanaka waved merrily to the few people who shouted greetings to her, and I realized, for the first time since we had seen her today, that she had relaxed completely in the presence of people who looked as if they could rip us from limb to limb had they wanted to.

The owner of the tavern himself greeted her warmly, and asked, "Would yeh like a room f'r the night, mi'lady?"

"That would be wonderful. A room with three beds, if possible."

"More than possible, follow me."

We followed him up the stairs, ignoring the greetings that the people shot at us. Miss Tanaka asked, as we walked up two flights of stairs, "Is there some way to have dinner brought to the room in an hour's time? I don't think we'll feel up to walking downstairs. We've had a tiring journey. The children especially are tired."

The man nodded absently, his short tangled hair bobbing from our point of view, "Of course. I'll 'ave a maid bring it up later, then." He unlocked a door, and stood back, handing Miss Tanaka the key he used, "Ah 'ave a key of me own. If yeh loose it, then jus' come down and see me, Mi'Lady. Good night."

Miss Tanaka bowed demurely to him, and took the key offered, thanking him for his kindness. After the door closed him off, she sighed, and leaned against the door. "Go and rest, Hatori. Raine, come here. I want to take a look at that shoulder. It stopped bleeding, right?"

I touched the wound, lightly, and then nodded, "About a half-hour ago. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

She touched the wound with gentle fingers, and removed the armor on my back, so that she could get at the cloth. Miss Tanaka stopped, and looked over at Hatori. He was watching the entire process with interest.

Miss Tanaka glared at him, "In the bathroom with you, and no peeking!"

He looked stung, "Do you not trust me here? Why would I memorize anything that would happen?"

I snorted, "Because you're a freakin' pervert."

Miss Tanaka grinned, "Exactly what Raine said. So in the bathroom with you. I'll tie you up with my chain if you try to peek."

"You're no fun." He complained, and went into the bathroom. Miss Tanaka waited until she heard the click of the lock turning before she turned back to me, and ripped the sleeve of my shirt off.

She gasped, and I glanced over my shoulder at her, confused. The flesh that she looked at was bubbled and mangled; it didn't look anything like the skin only a few centimeters away from it. Miss Tanaka pulled a dagger from the hidden folds of her clothes, and opened the wound once more. I winced, but did not make a sound as the sharp weapon touched my skin; I would have to live through it, for the look on Miss Tanaka's face showed me that she would not be kind to me, no matter how much I cried out in my pain.

Miss Tanaka examined the wound, pulling up the flesh, and hissed, "You were bitten by one of them, weren't you?"

"I don't know. When I heard Hatori cry out in pain, I turned. It hurt me, I know that, but it let go as soon as the key blade made it."

She frowned, "The key blade made it let go?"

I nodded, "It pulsed with white magic, and it just let go."

"Well, that's odd." She leaned back against the wall. "All I can say is to drink this potion, and you should be fine. I'll be right back; stay facing away from the bathroom."

Quickly, I turned, and looked at the cream colored wall, amused by the landscape painting hung on it. Then I heard Miss Tanaka order Hatori, "Give me your shirt."

Hatori yelped, and I could hear him shuffle away from the door, "What?"

"You heard me. Fork it over."

"Why should I give you my shirt!"

"Because Raine needs it. Guys can go shirtless, but girls cannot. So come on, give it up. I'll buy you another later on."

He muttered under his breath, but I couldn't catch what was said. Miss Tanaka obviously did, for there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and another yelp from Haa-chan; one of Miss Tanaka's infamous head slaps that got the attention of even her rowdiest students. A moment later, a shirt was tossed over my head, "Here's something for you to wear so that the pervert doesn't get any ideas."

I slid into it hurriedly, not wanting to find out what would happen to me if I didn't listen to her. She called Hatori in as soon as I was dressed, and he dove under his covers to cover his bare chest.

Miss Tanaka rolled her eyes, and sat next to me as I drained a potion down easily, my arm healing almost as soon as I had drunk it down. Miss Tanaka sighed, and leaned her head back against the foot rest, eyes closed. I hesitated before finally asking her, "How did you know how to find us?"

She opened one eye to look at me, "It was easy. I didn't know it was you, of course, but once I saw the maze, I knew something important was locked in there."

Hatori added his own question after she finished answering, "Then how do you know about the key blade?"

Miss Tanaka sighed again, and this time sat up straight, and then turned around so that she could face the both of us, "Easy enough. I'll tell you once you tell me something. Who were the three kids that left the island for their own adventure?"

I promptly answered her, the first names of the children committed to memory, "Riku, Kairi, and Sora."

"Right. Did you know that one of the children returned home?"

I exchanged a glance with Hatori, surprised; he looked equally surprised as I felt. We hadn't even heard a whisper about that part of the legend. "No, we didn't. Who was the one that returned? What happened to them?" I prompted her, turning away from Haa-chan.

She smiled, and scooted back so that she could lean against the wall, looking more comfortable that way, "Well, Kairi was the one who returned back to the island. She went straight home to her adopted parents, since she had come from a land far away, and had no true parents.

"When she got home, she was met with three sets of parents, her own adoptive ones

, and the ones belonging to Sora and Riku. She didn't know what to say to them about their children, except that they couldn't come home any longer." She blinked a few times, rapidly, and then continued, her voice filled with sorrow, "They waited for years for them to return, not believing Kairi about what she had told them. After about five years, they gave them both up for dead, and held a funeral for them. You both might remember it; you were five at the time."

I nodded; I did remember it, but not well, and I couldn't remember the names of the boys it was for. All I really know about it was that it was for two bad boys who had run away and never came home. It was a large affair for everyone in our town, and nearly everyone showed up. Hatori frowned, "Wait, if Kairi returned home, how come none of us at Y-" He cut himself off, gulped, coughed to cover his hesitation and then continued, "none of us have heard of her?"

Miss Tanaka smiled ruefully, "Because, as soon as she turned eighteen, she changed her name so that people could stop riding her back about it. She changed her appearance, her personality, and ignored anyone who ever asked her questions about it. Kairi soon faded into society, the truth to the legend forgotten. I do believe that she is still considered lost to everyone, correct?"

Again, I nodded, and then asked, "Who is she now?"

"Her name? Sakura Tanaka." Miss Tanaka told us, her lip curled in a wry smile.

D/N: Revelations! plays dramatic music in the backround Anyway. Next chapter will have a few more explanations and stuff, but it shouldn't be too much more to be revealed now, so we can move on to the main adventure soon enough. giggles evilly Hatori isn't wearing a shirt. . .. giggles again . .. .

Read and review, and all flames are welcome! Helpful criticism is rewarded with chocolate!

Oh, and if you say something to the effect of "you suck" I will throw oranges at you. That phrase, unfortunately, does not fall under the category of 'helpful criticism'.

And beware, fellow fanfiction scanners: chat speak will not be taken seriously and will be punished by the evil mushroom man of doom that lives in my closet.


	8. Chapter 7: Sheets

D/N:P I'm having fun writing.

I hurt a few of my left hand fingers, so this chapter might be less than normal. . Damn rolly chairs. . . . Anyway. This chapter might be a bit more dialogue, but bear with it, okay?

Every story needs it's period of boringness. . . . . . and no, I don't want to look up a proper word in the dictionary.

Hatori rolled off of the bed in his effort to try and sit up, "Wait, isn't that your name?"

Miss Tanaka rolled her eyes, "No, really?"

I mused over the new information. "So we've been taught by the infamous Kairi the entire time, huh? Do you know how much your students would honor you if you just told us?"

"That's not the point; I had to stay in hiding, for that was the only way I could get such a good job. Anyway," She waved us off as we were about to ask more questions, "This isn't about me. This is about that." She pointed to the transformed version of my key blade with her pinky.

I looked down at it, and rubbed the key chain, "So it is. What's so important about it, anyway?"

Miss Tanaka threw back her head and laughed, "What's so important about it? Everything's important! Oh, if Sora heard you say that, he'd go insane. He protected that thing for years, and now it seems it was his time to pass it on." Her eyes turned sad for a moment, and then she shook her head, continuing as though nothing had happened, "The key blade can become powerful, you know. The magic in it that can battle the shadows grows with every new chain you find to update it with.

"Besides being powerful, the key blade is the only thing that can lock the heartless out of each world, which saves the inhabitants from being swallowed by the shadows. The locks won't last forever, of course and they can be reopened if someone tries hard enough. Yet, if you send the shadows back into their own world, then it will not matter if the locks fade." She sighed, running a hand through her brown-red hair, as if thinking, "That lock should not have faded, though. Someone released the shadows from their world, someone who is power hungry, and does not think ahead toward the consequences." Restlessly, she stood up and sat on the bed closest to the door, swinging her feet childishly, "It's up to you now to destroy it. Nothing else can hurt him as much as the key blade."

I drew the key blade out into its original form from the bracelet form, and stroked it, "So, this is that powerful?"

She nodded, but Hatori was the one to speak, "Wait. If we're to lock _all _of the worlds, wouldn't that mean we have about a couple hundred to do? I can't believe that there are only a few besides our island."

"Good observation." Miss Tanaka told him, and pulled out a notebook from one of the many pockets on her pants. She flipped a few pages, as if searching for something, and then paused at one section. "Here we are. There are more than a couple hundred worlds, in all." Haa-chan turned away from her with a snort, as if saying he knew it, and Miss Tanaka shot a glare at his back, and looked to me, "You won't need to lock all of those worlds. There are only ten main worlds that you have to lock. Those ten worlds have one main lock that forms a chain of locks upon a good deal of the other worlds."

"So our work is cut in half."

She grinned, "Exactly! But there's one problem. In each of those worlds, there is powerful heartless guarding the locks. It'll be hard for you to get near them without a battle, so you're going to have to be trained."

Hatori had turned back to face Miss Tanaka by this time when he heard about the ten worlds. "You're going to train us?"

She laughed again, "Of course I'm not! There's someone in town, I've heard, who will only train powerful, young warriors. I'm too old to go and see him, but you two aren't. I'll show you were to go in two days."

"That's typical. You tell us all of this, and then you refuse to train us. You're powerful plenty, so why do we need to go to some strange child molester?" Hatori asked, grumpily. I could tell that he was nervous about going to see some stranger about helping us. We didn't know anything about him; he could be a heartless himself under the guise of a human.

Miss Tanaka leaned forward, pointing one long finger at Hatori, "I know, for a fact, that he isn't a child molester. Many heroes have been produced by this trainer. I've met each and every one of them, you know. And I'm not going to train you because I don't know anything about other weapons." Her finger moved to point at my key blade, "That is a very tricky weapon to learn. You already know some, but there's still a long way for you to go. Instead, I'm going to buy you better armor and give you enough potions and munny to get along."

I stared at her, "We need better armor? This seemed to hold up well against the dragon-heartless."

"Those were hardly powerful heartless. There are many more out there that could pierce the armor like it was paper, and you underneath. Before you know it, you're lying dead on the ground. I'll pick that stuff up for you tomorrow morning.

"Now, let's stop with this Q&A. Our food's coming soon. Greg, the owner of this tavern, is pretty punctual when it comes to bringing meals up. Ah, there's the maid now."

While Miss Tanaka had been talking, someone had knocked briskly upon the door. She hopped eagerly off of the bed, and opened the door for a young girl who wad laden with food, bowls and utensils. Miss Tanaka took the tray from her, and pulled out a few gold pieces of munny, pressing it into the woman's hand, "Give two pieces to your master for the proper tip, and keep the rest for yourself."

The maid thanked her hurriedly, and ran off, blue eyes wide. Miss Tanaka shut the door firmly behind her, and brought the tray over to the table in the corner of the room, setting out the bowls of stew and a plate of bread and butter. "Come and eat, before you both go to sleep. You need to regain your energy, and you'll be sore tomorrow."

I walked over, not needing to be asked twice. My stomach had begun to growl almost as soon as I had laid eyes on the food that was brought in by the maid. Hatori was a bit more reluctant, but finally managed to pull the sheet off of the bed, and wrapped it around himself. I snorted, choking on the mouthful of cider I had taken. Miss Tanaka pounded my back, and looked at him from over my shoulder, "Are you really that shy? Come now, you were so eager to see Raine's."

Hatori blushed, and sat before his bowl of stew, taking a roll of bread, "I like clothes." That was all that he said in answer.

I chewed thoughtfully on some bread, and decided not to worry about it. Hatori had been, and probably always will be, the strangest of my peers. For a moment, I turned over the idea that he might be a woman, but then stopped myself. We had gone swimming in the ocean enough for me to know the truth.

After dinner, I crawled straight into bed, Miss Tanaka taking her time over her own food, and writing something new in her notebook. I barely noticed her; my full stomach dragged me down, seemed to drug me. Haa-chan already had collapsed, and was snoring in bed, his sheet crumpled on the floor beside him, forgotten in his exhaustion.

I snuggled deeper into my covers, and fell asleep, hoping that this peace would last forever, but I knew that it would not.

D/N: Sorry it's not as long as I normally post. I'll try and make it up as soon as I'm better, which should be soon.

Whoever's able to guess who the mysterious hero trainer is gets pie.


	9. Chapter 8: Alone

D/N: Oy, better and READY TO TYPE! WOOO!

Morning came, with the merry chirping of birds from outside my window, and sunlight streaming across my face. I hadn't realized how much I had missed sunlight until I saw it again. It was good to see, after so long of being in shadow. The birds, though, oh how I could live without them! That would be the one thing that could have been better, but I didn't bother to try and chase them away; my body ached from what I did yesterday, unused to the strange movements.

Creakily, I sat up and looked around the room, unwilling to get up just yet. The two other beds were empty, but a note was tacked to the wall above the table, the table that now was cleaned of the food from last night, and had a plate of fruit, bread and some small pasties I didn't recognize, a small tub of butter and jam to the side. I sat there for a moment longer, staring at the food, wondering if I could make it come over to me by sheer willpower alone. For a moment, I tried, I really did, but of course it didn't work; wishful thinking of a tired mind, that was all.

Muscles complaining, my healed shoulder screaming in pain as I banged it against the head board, I got out of the bed, and made my way, zombie-like, over to the table. The note was in Miss Tanaka's neat script, and simply said:

_Raine-_

_Gone into the town with Hatori to get some clothes, armor and potions. Trainer will see you tomorrow, can't guarantee that he'll train you, though. Will be back by sunset (hopefully). Eat lunch downstairs in the tavern; Greg will put it on a tab, so don't worry about munny. Don't get into trouble, and stay in the tavern It's the safest place for you; keep the key blade with you at all times, do not show it to anyone, or I'll have to beat in your skull when I get back. I'll know, don't worry. _

_-Tanaka_

I stared at the note, and sighed, thumping it down on the table. She decides to take the shirtless once into town, while I sit here and recuperate. And, for good measure, she's threatening me with death. _Such a pleasant woman, _I thought, grimacing.

Instead of moping around, I looked at my shoulder. It was still shooting webs of pain down my arm and down my back also. The potion last night should have healed it all the way. Peeling away Hatori's shirt revealed a large purple-black bruise, fresh, and throbbing. Naturally, I had to poke it, as if to make sure it was real. It was. And it hurt worse than being bitten by the damned thing. I gritted my teeth for a moment, and then bit into an apple moodily, legs nearly cramping up on me before I had a chance to sit down. This was going to be a long day.

After a semi-warm bath (there were no showers here, it seemed) and then a make-shift bandage out of a towel for my arm, I decided to visit the main part of the tavern. After all, Miss Tanaka had given me permission to go down, and as long as I didn't show off my key blade, everything should be fine. The key chain from the blade, as though reading my thoughts, gently bounced against the palm of my hand. I looked down at it, surprised, and then opened the door to go downstairs.

Even for it being only noon, the tavern was fairly busy, though there weren't as many drinkers as last night. All I could see were mostly men in their work clothes, eating hearty meals of meat and bread with their friends. Awkwardly, I realized that I was the only female in the room, but I still walked over to the fire and took a seat, the warmth seeping into my pained shoulder and soothing it slightly, the same way the bath had done earlier. A homely woman walked over, obviously one of the tavern workers, and smiled kindly down at me, "Aren't yeh a little young to be here, laddie?" She spoke loudly, even though the tavern was quiet enough to be heard over at a normal level. It seemed she was used to shouting over rowdy men.

_Laddie. .? _I wondered, but smiled back at her, and asked, "I was wondering what you had down here for lunch."

She pulled a pad of paper from one of the pockets on her apron, and consulted it for a moment before saying, "If you've the money, we've steak. Or pork if yer an 'eavy eater."

I grinned, "Steak sounds wonderful. Could you put it on my tab?"

The woman's smile faded, "That you'll 'ave to take up with my husband, Greg."

"Then tell him Miss Tanaka's student would like to see him. I'd go there myself, but I don't know where to go."

Again, she brightened up; it was as though her moods were governed by money, "Missus Tanaka, you say? I know 'er well. She woan't run out on a tab, an' she comes so often. Yer steak'll be 'ere in a moment."

Startling me, she walked away briskly. So Miss Tanaka was well known here. That was odd; she was nearly always at school. When did she find the time to come here? Summer, maybe, but I remember seeing her at the mall a few times over the last summer; she couldn't have stayed too long, in that case.

The woman came back, and plopped a tankard full of amber liquid in front of me. About to protest, she stopped me, "This is cider, laddie. Greg told me to give it to yeh. 'e knows 'ow old yeh are; Missus Tanaka told 'im earlier. On the 'ouse, this one. Go on, drink up."

I did as asked, thanking her many times over. She smiled, revealing a glistening smile, her large bosom and plump body seeming to fit the look. "That'll give yeh the growth yeh need. Boys shouldn't be a small as you are."

Mentally, I was stung, but I ignored the comment. She thought I was a boy, and I wouldn't go around proving her wrong. It worked out just fine this way. The warmth of the fire was nice against my side, and, as the tables began to clear up, silence descended upon the tavern. Every man seemed to go back to work at the same time in the town, for, in a few moments, the taverns was nearly empty, save for the plates and cups left on the tables. Greg's wife moved around busily with a young girl, picking up plates and pushing in chairs, keeping the place clean for the next round of guests.

I yawned, and the girl, who I could only suspect to be Greg's daughter, came in with a large plate of steak, mashed potato, gravy and cooked vegetables. She laid it all before me with a coy smile, "'ere yeh are, sir. I 'ope it all's to yer liking."

Ignoring her use of 'sir' I picked up one of my forks, and asked her, "What's your name?"

"Rose, sir."

I nodded, "A good name. Tell your father that Miss Tanaka won't be in until late."

Rose curtsied, "As you wish, sir." She walked off, blushing furiously.

The food was good and sat heavily in a lump in the middle of my stomach. I leaned back against the chair and sighed, content. This was a good place to visit, definitely. Had the circumstances been different, I think I might have enjoyed living here for a few years.

The door banged open, and I looked up at it, wondering who could be in such a hurry to eat something. A man walked in, extremely tall and wearing a heavy pair of black pants, chains attached to his belt which jingled merrily every time he took a step. On his torso he wore a brown jacket that looked worn from use and battle. He looked at me for a moment, brown hair flopping into his eyes, and then looked around, finally choosing a table on the other side of the fire.

Rose had run in as soon as the door had banged open, startled. The man frowned, and told her, "Get Greg."

The girl nodded, and fled the room as if for dear life. While I observed him from my corner of shadows, he removed the sword I hadn't previously noticed. He threw it onto the table with a clatter, and sighed, propping his feet up onto the table itself. I drank some cider, and ignored him, drinking in the warmth of the fire. Not once during lunch did my shoulder twinge, and even now, when I was thinking of it, it only ached like the rest of my body. I tapped it lightly, and bit my lip as it snarled with a flare of pain in response; it was still a livid bruise, of course, but it was backing off for the moment, as if allowing me time to rest for the moment. I decided to leave it be, and sit back, watching the stranger with some interest.

Greg came into the room moments after Rose had tore out, and greeted the stranger warmly, with a shake of his hand, and a few welcoming words. They spoke in low tones for a moment, and then the stranger nodded a smile on his face. Suddenly, Greg seemed to notice me sitting there, and asked, startled, "Young Master! Where is Missus Tanaka?"

I frowned, "She's out with Haa-chan, getting some things. Why?"

He frowned, and then sighed, "There's a man 'ere I want to introduce 'er to. 'e could 'elp."

"Help with what?" I frowned, "What's she going to do with us?"

It was Greg's turn to frown, "She hasn't told yeh? I'd expect that yeh will know in time. Go back to yeh're room and rest, now."

The man placed a restraining hand on the tavern owner's arm as he moved over to me, as if to shoo me upstairs to my room. "I want to speak to him for a moment."

Greg hesitated, and then bowed to the stranger, "Very well, Master Sora."

_Sora? _I thought, _I know that name from somewhere. .. _

Greg left the room, and Sora came over to me, pulling a chair out and sitting down across from me, "So, you're Sakura's. She came by this morning to say that she had someone for me to look at. . ." He looked me over for a moment, and then sighed, "You're too small to be a good warrior."

I glared at him, "Well, I'm sorry for being short. Care to give me a cure?"

He smiled, a deep scar on his face widening the smile, making it look as if his cheek were split in two. "Ah, there is no cure except to grow up. How old are you, anyway; twelve? Thirteen?"

"Sixteen!" I stood, careful of my shoulder, "If you're that warrior trainer that Miss Tanaka spoke of, I'd rather be trained by an elephant." I left him there, a bemused smile on his face.

Sora called after me, "You're not going to get any better by being trained by an elephant, boy!"

I didn't even bother to correct him. There were some things that I couldn't have a care for, and one of them was that that man being correct about my gender.

D/N: Gaah, sucky chapter, but I was feeling weird. . . . . And how many of you expected the trainer to be Leon? Hehe, yesh, I'm weird. Nya.

Bleh.


	10. Chapter 9: Armor

D/N: For those of you who think this is sounding like a mary-sue, I'm sowwy. I try my hardest not to do that, but sometimes. .. . I can't help it! Nya. Well, Chapter ten already, my, my. It's been a fast ten chapters, hasn't it? wipes away tears Oh, how I hate to see them grow up! If they only knew what I had in store for them! sighs

Ah, yes, one point to make. I know that the ending "-chan" is for girls, but Raine uses it to make fun of Hatori. . Sowwy about not pointing that out earlier. I thought it might be nice to clarify it. .. . on the tenth chapter. . hits head steadily against wall Bad Rieh! Baaad Rieh! Rieh shall be punished for her badness! falls off of her chair and picks up her shoe BAD RIEH! BAD BAD BAD!

I stopped in front of my room, glaring at the grainy wood of the door as though it too had wronged me in some way. That man had no right to say that I couldn't be a warrior just because of my height. He didn't even realize that I was female! Some trainer he was.

I kicked open the door, and marched over to my bed, and lay down with a violent sigh, staring at the pock-marked ceiling, probably from someone bored enough to chuck a knife up at the otherwise clean, white surface. The design was random, confused, but it still calmed me down to the point where rational thought forced its way through my clouded mind, clearing it. _He was testing you, maybe. You lost your temper too quickly._

I talked back to that little voice that spoke up, angrily. Maybe not the sanest thing to do, but I didn't care at that point, "He was insulting me!"

_So? People insult each other. They're only words, and you shouldn't allow them to pierce so deep. I thought your hide was thick. Hatori never got through._

"I never let him through." I murmured, rolling over onto my right side, careful of my bruised shoulder.

_Then what made you open up to a stranger like that?_

I paused, and thought about that question seriously. What HAD brought me to that point? My heart was strong, iron, as Hatori sometimes grumbled, but that stranger got to me; he had hit me straight in the heart without even trying. "Maybe he's magicked me."

_Or maybe you judged him for someone who wouldn't try to dig into your heart. You didn't expect to meet him.  
_

"Screw you." I murmured, turning over onto my back again, and sitting up. "If you're so damned smart, then who was that person?"

_Talking to yourself isn't sane.  
_

"That's not what I asked. Answer me!"

The voice, my own voice, sighed,_ Think and remember._

I threw a pillow moodily at the wall, knowing it wouldn't be nice to hit myself with it. How could I remember someone who I have never met before?

But there was the nagging sensation from before, as soon as I had heard his name. That feeling was telling me that I _had _heard of that man before, maybe not in this world, but I have. I couldn't shake the feeling that I somehow knew him, and that the memories would float up soon enough.

My mind turned back to Miss Tanaka as the sun began to set; time passed quickly. It was getting late, and Hatori and Miss Tanaka should be returning home soon. _Or Kairi, as she was once known as._ I thought, amused by the fact.

I froze, suddenly realizing where the name 'Sora' came from. There were three people who had left my island to seek adventure; Riku, Kaira, and _Sora._ It was so simple, so amazingly close to the surface of my mind, yet I hadn't the time to think. Everything happening so fast, it probably had taken me all of this time just to process all the events properly.

From down the hall, as I sat back against the headboard, wondering where the stranger went, came the sound of drunken singing; had the men in the tavern already gotten that smashed? No, that voice was a woman's. Unless someone kicked him in the balls, that couldn't be any of the rough looking men from the tavern. It was too early in the night, anyway, for any person in the right state of mind to get drunk.

With growing alarm, I scooted off of the bed, and sprinted over to the door as the singing grew louder and louder, followed by the odd thump of someone hitting a wall. I opened the door, and peered down the hall, to see Miss Tanaka leaning against the wall across the hall from our room, knocking on it busily, still singing lustily. Now that she was so close, and the door open, I could hear what she was singing.

"_Leave alone the orange cow,_

_That leaves you wondering what and how! _

_As it jumps through the mists of time,_

_Don't touch the rose's yellow slime!" _

I shouted, not wanting to get near her for fear she might just and try to attack me, "Miss Tanaka! What's wrong!"

Something crashed from behind her, as she continued with her determined knocking, as though it were a door. I looked further down the hall, and saw Hatori on the floor, clad in a long flowing black robe with several large packages spread around him. Ignoring the drunk, I sped over to him, "What happened to her?"

He rubbed his head and sat up, "After getting all the stuff she wanted to, she went to a friends' house. She didn't tell me who it was, and left me in the hallway for about an hour. When she came out, she was like this." He sighed, "It was hard getting her to come back. The damned woman nearly started three brawls!"

"_Climb the branches of the golden tree,_

_Looking from the top, do you see me? _

_Deer of love,_

_Velvet dove,_

_Dancing angels in the sky,_

_Hear the winds laugh then sigh,_

_Innocent feelings are what you find,_

_Deep in the crevasses of your mind."_

I watched her for a moment, and then helped Hatori gather everything into one neat pile, "What song is she singing?"

"How should I know? She's been repeating it over and over again, as though it has some sort of meaning. If you listen to some of the lyrics, it's actually a sad song."

Grunting with the exertion upon my sore muscles, I picked up half of the packages, and made my way toward the room, "I'm surprised no one's thrown anything at her yet."

"They've tried. I had to take away her whip twice to make sure she didn't hurt anyone."

I stared at him from around the brown packaging, "And how did you do that?"

He shrugged, "Even I don't know. I just got it from her, and that's all I care about."

"_Wander through the fields of light,_

_The forests deep are embraced in night,_

_Human time is so very slow,_

_And yet the orange cow still flows,_

_A phoenix lays down to sleep,_

_Wary of the rabid sheep,_

_Soon your wandering soul will return to bed,_

_The cloak you wear shall be shed."_

We piled the packages on the table. After a brief shared glance, Hatori held up his hands, "I had to deal with her all the way here. It's your turn." He nearly ran into the bathroom, as though afraid of what might happen next.

Confused, I looked after him, and then shrugged. I walked back out into the hallway. Miss Tanaka had leaned against the wall, her eyes staring absently at the ceiling. She was singing slower now, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. I stopped in the doorway, startled; never had I expected Miss Tanaka to be able to cry, but here she was, so very close to the edge.

"_Singing stars light your face,_

_Meteors drop from outer space,_

_Teardrops fall from my drooping head,_

_My heart feeling as though it's filled with lead,_

_Must I wait for another night,_

_To feel your sheer imaginative might,_

_You bid me farewell and leave,_

_The dreamland that you can only perceive."_

Suddenly, Miss Tanaka bent her head, burying it in both of her hands, and her shoulders began to shudder, as though she were crying. I was at her side in an instant, aches or no aches. I gripped her arm, "Miss Tanaka? What's wrong?"

She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes, and whispered, tears still streaming from them, "This song. .. It. .. It reminds me. . . of Sora. .. and Riku, and the good old days. . .. when we used to sit on the beach. .. and sing under the stars." She yawned, all of a sudden, and slumped forward onto the hallway carpet in a dead faint.

I ran back into the room, and pounded on the bathroom door, which was locked, "Get out here, Haa-chan! She's fainted!"

The door opened, and Hatori walked out to survey our teacher. "I wondered when she'd finally conk out. She's going to have a monster hangover tomorrow."

"Shouldn't we bring her inside?"

"I don't know. . ."

I looked at him incredulously, "She could be raped out there!"

"I think she'd enjoy that. . " He muttered, but still pulled the teacher over his left side, "Come on and help me!" He grunted, staggering under Miss Tanaka's weight.

I helped him pull her inside the room, laying her on the bed designated as hers. I sighed, and leaned against the wall. "Gods, she makes it so tough on us." I

looked over at Hatori, "What're in these packages?"

"Like I said before; the stuff we need. The ones with the black marks on them are yours, the ones with the blue are mine. Each piece of armor is fitted for both of us, so you're going to have to pay attention." He looked at Miss Tanaka, "She knows such strange songs."

"I didn't think it was all that strange. Do you know the whole thing?"

He rolled his eyes at me, "Of course I do! I've heard her sing the same damn thing for what seems like an eternity."

"If it was an eternity, then you'd still be listening to it."

"Will you shut up?"

I paused, and then asked with an evil grin, "What's the entire thing?"

"I'm not going to sing it!"

I made a face at him, "You'd break all of the glass. I just want to know how it goes."

Hatori hesitated for a moment, and then recited;

_Let me know your beating heart,_

_The one that inspires my mysterious art,_

_Of fish green clouds,_

_The very ones that shrouds, _

_The world that lies beyond the world you know,_

_Don't allow reality to show,_

_Open your ears to the world above, _

_Listen to the velvet dove. _

_Peer through vast forests green,_

_To see the magical beasts that are left unseen,_

_Tropical fruits fall right to your feet,_

_Pick them up and don't hesitate to eat,_

_Dragons flying,_

_Banshees crying,_

_Phoenixes welcoming the day,_

_Let the sleeping sphinxes lay._

_Fly on the wings of your mind,  
Go and see what you can find,_

_Soar high above the oceans red,_

_Dive deep into the graves of the dead,_

_Leave alone the orange cow,_

_The one that leaves you wondering what and how,_

_As it jumps through the mists of time,_

_Don't touch the rose's yellow slime._

_Climb the branches of the golden tree,_

_Looking from the top; do you see me?_

_Deer of love,_

_Velvet dove,_

_Dancing angels in the sky,_

_Hear the winds laugh then sigh,_

_Innocent feelings are what you find,_

_Deep in the crevasses of your mind._

_W-"_

I stopped him, "I've heard this part already. Remember?"

"I thought you wanted to hear the entire thing again."

I shook my head, "Gods, no. It's depressing enough."

A heavy silence passed between us, and then I finally commented. "It's such a strange song."

He shrugged, "Considering the one who was singing it, I don't think it was all that strange. It could have been worse."

I snorted, "Anything could be worse." I pointed a finger at him, "Even _you_ could be worse, and that seems impossible."

He growled at me, and threatened to throw his pillow at me. I reached behind me, to grab my own to defend myself, forgetting that I had thrown it at the wall earlier. Because of my stupidity, I got a face full of pillow, and fell off of the bed with a loud bang.

Miss Tanaka snorted and tossed violently in her sleep, but then calmed down, as if nothing had happened. I, on the other hand, had to bite deep into my forearm in order to stop a cry of pain. I had forgotten about my shoulder, the one that was bruised, and didn't save myself in time from falling on it. Hatori rushed over, seeing blood dripping from around my mouth, "Gods! What happened to you?"

I let go of my arm with a hiss, "I'm fine! Just let me _rest._"

He looked at me, strangely, and then sighed. "It'd be so much easier to stay with you if you'd just open up to me more." Hatori got up and walked over to the packages, going through one of the ones with a blue marking on it. He threw a potion at me, "At least drink this. I don't want your arm getting infected because you have issues."

I looked at it for a bit, and then relented; he was right. I didn't want to risk the loss of my arm over some stupid trifle. Quickly, ignoring the pain in my arm, I drank it down. Nearly instantly after the liquid hit my stomach, my arm burned and itched, and then the wound closed up on itself, the blood under my skin disappearing as though it were never there. My shoulder stopped aching, and I pulled the sleeve up to see what was happening. The bruise was, by time I had gotten the sleeve up, gone. Nothing but a phantom pain lingered, along with the feeling that it was going to be sore tomorrow.

Miss Tanaka rolled over in her bed, and fell out with a loud thud. She snorted, and continued to snore loudly. Hatori stared at her, "She's a heavy sleeper."

"You mean heavy drunk."

He glanced at me, "Are you feeling better now?"

"I don't know." I stood up, using the side of the bed to help me, "I think so. Nothing hurts, that is. Only deep aches."

"Well, that's good. Then go to sleep." He stared at the wall for the moment, as though recalling something, "I think we have something huge planned for us tomorrow." He sighed, and lay back on his bed, sheets thrown over him, not bothering to even take off his shoes.

I wondered, briefly, what Miss Tanaka had told him when they were out, what she had still yet to tell me. Taking Hatori's words into consideration, I lay back and was asleep in moments.

D/N: . Too cold out to think. sighs

Bad chapter, I know, but I don't feel like thinking.

The song that Miss Tanaka was singing was of my own creation. I randomly found it deep within the recesses of my computer, and decided it would make a good drunken song. Sadly, Miss Tanaka's a sad drunk, so she cries at the last part. . . . . . 


End file.
